From Wikipedia: “The name Siem Reap means the ‘Flat Defeat of Siam’ — today’s Thailand — and refers to the centuries-old conflict between the Siamese and Khmer peoples.”
And also from Wikipedia: “Angkor Wat lies 5.5 km north of the modern town of Siem Reap, and a short distance south and slightly east of the previous capital, which was centred (sic) at Baphuon. It is in an area of Cambodia where there is an important group of ancient structures. It is the southernmost of Angkor’s main sites.”
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what can be said about this area. I recommend that you visit Wikipedia (or go to the library) and discover more on your own; I think you’ll find it interesting and intriguing.
Meanwhile, the following are my selects from the many photos I shot. Yes, this represents my favs; I took a lot more pictures!
Enjoy . . .
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| Arriving via tuk tuk (after a 4+ hour ride in a minivan). |
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| Sunrise at Angkor Wat. |
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| Dogs are everywhere in SE Asia. |
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| : ) |
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| Angkor Wat complete with the possibility of a balloon ride. |
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| Dragonflies at Banteay Kdei. |
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| A remodel at Ta Prohm. |
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| There are lots of trees growing out of the rock walls at Ta Prohm. |
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| Ta Keo. |
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| I was riding with my new gal pal friend, Laura, a chef in Australia. |
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| Moi at Ta Keo. |
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| One of four “gates” at Angkor Thom. |
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| Within Angkor Thom is one of everyone’s favorite. |
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| Bayon Temple. |
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| With lots and lots . . . |
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| of faces! : ) |
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| The mode of transportation the first and third day of touring Angkor Wat. |
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| Four of us shared a tuk tuk to go far north of Siem Reap to visit . . . |
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| Kbal Spean. |
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| Needless to say, we didn’t swim! |
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| Very, very old prayers are carved into the rocks. Like the wind carries the prayers (on prayer flags), the water carries these prayers (all the down the river to Angkor Wat). |
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| That’s Shiva. |
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| It was a 2 km walk in pleasant, drizzling rain to the above carvings. |
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| The rain and warmth brought beautiful clouds on the horizon. |
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| The tuk tuk sharing gang. |
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| I thought they looked colorful; they smiled and waved back. |
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| The second wat far north of Siem Reap that we visited via tuk tuk. |
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| It’s unusual because of its reddish coloring. |
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| It’s also the “women’s” temple. |
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| Name is Banteay Srey, one of my favs. |
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| We were enamored with these tiny frogs which we saw practically everywhere! |
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| More of Banteay Srey. |
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Can’t remember the name of this one . . . sorry!
(though it might be Banteay Srey as well . . . it is reddish!) |
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| We saw all kinds of things while riding in the tuk tuk. |
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| Moi and my gal pal, Laura. |
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| Tuk tuks weren’t the only way to see the temples. |
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| Following behind the work crew. |
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| Liked the orange . . . |
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| Even if it just came from that guy’s shirt. |
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| On my own I went to Preah Khan. |
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| It too had trees that were “taking over.” |
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| See? |
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I just wandered all over . . .
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| And happened upon the “behind-the-scenes” area. |
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| Back to work after a break. |
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| I stopped for a lunch break. |
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| This dog was so darn fascinating to look at. |
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| He and the other guy were waiting . . . Yes, I shared! |
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| And then it was time to grab a tuk tuk for the ride back (after I had a flat tire!). |
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| That night as I sat down in the hotel lobby to join fellow FLO teacher, Andrew, for dinner (he was in Siem Reap for his work), this movie just happened to come on. Remember fellow Kauaians? |
And with that I bid you adieu from Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Aloha!
